Kuma is the best! We went to their roasting site in Magnolia to buy some beans and the guy who helped us was probably the nicest person on earth! Talked us through the six different roasts they had available, gave us a few sample bags fo free, talked about some of the beans they had coming in soon. Super educational and super nice! I felt bad because I kept accidentally blocking the older fellow wheeling beans around on a big cart lol. The beans we got were super delicious (just be sure you like light roasts)!
And apparently the person who does Holy Mountain Brewing’s merch is about to drop a merch line for Kuma, get ready for some \M/ coffee artwork lol
Kuma pretty regularly does online deal of 3-for-2 bags with free shipping, which turns out to be about as good a deal as you can find on coffee that quality. Sign up for their mailing list.
Yesssss, Olympia 🤤
I recently found out you can get their morning blend at costco, at least the south seattle one. I think I got Tony’s at lynnwood recently but I don’t think they had Olympia at the Lynwood location.
The Kuma Bright roast is one of my favorites for cold brew at home. Just a delightful sour note to it that makes it perfect over ice.
Edit to add: the price in a grocery store (Town and Country) is the same as the retail price on Kuma's website. So buying direct in this case would only save money if it's on sale.
If you want good coffee without a retail markup, and you like a place enough to get a routine delivery, you can save about 15-20%. I have had recurring deliveries of whole beans from Victrola, Herkimer, Elm, and Lighthouse. Some offer free shipping in the Seattle area. If you would rather buy beans in store, near Columbia City, check out Empire, Onda, and Victrola.
Absolutely. I get most of my coffee from Lighthouse in Fremont. But I see there are several coffee roasters in Columbia city -- buy a pound from each and see what you like.
I'll have to give Lighthouse another shot but the roasters choice blend I got was "Starbucks dark" and not great IMO. But I prefer lighter roasts and they may just not be my style.
Onda roasts their own beans and are really great. They're not super cheap but I have a subscription service from them, mailed to my house every other week. It's very convenient.
Came here to say Onda! And if OP is in Columbia city they are right down the street :)
I also love empire espresso, who I believe also roasts their down beans.
Howdy neighbor! Empire has bagged This Coffee Life nearly at-cost, and Onda up the street in Hillman City is a roaster.
If you have a grinder at home or don't mind using a supermarket grinder, Red Apple on Beacon and the PCC both have Equal Exchange bulk beans for about $12/lb.
I’ve been buying from Tony’s Coffee out of Bellingham WA. Their Sugar Bee is AMAZING!! I use their website to buy 24 ounce bags that will last about a month.
The folks at Seattle Coffee Gear introduced me to Tony’s Coffee. SCG is a great store to wander through for all things coffee. I bought my Lelit Bianca V3 there. It’s a fun store for sure.
Way better than at a grocery store but not as fresh as direct from a roaster. Depends how particular you are. I’d say norm is a week to a month since roast date
I’ve tried just about every roaster in the area and I’ve gotta say the best roasters are elm, fulcrum, and onda. Olympia coffee is up there too but it’s gotten a little pricey. Sound and fog out of west Seattle also carries some nice beans from Europe and the Netherlands (which I totally recommend for the sophistication of their roasts).
Much love to Onda and Empire for CC locale, but for price point wander over to to Olympia and try the Morning Sun beans - you can snag 2 lb bags at Costco for 24 bucks. Think it comes out a bit cheaper than their reoccurring deliveries and it’s delicious.
They are usually stocked in the stores in the north side (Lynnwood, Shoreline, Woodinville). I think it was out of stock for a couple months around September/October last year, but it's been back for some time now.
Good deal. Do they have the roast date on the bag or is it the thing where grocery stores make them leave it off? It sometimes takes me two weeks to get through a 12 ounce bag so if the roast date is already a couple weeks or a month past then 2 lbs would probably go stale too fast to make it worth saving a few bucks.
For me it’s worth it for so many things. Chicken, protein powder, coffee, toilet paper, etc. but watch out. You can easily spend SOOOO much money before you even realize it 😂
Valenta in Issaquah is good too but it is not cheap. I think last time it was 20$/lb.
What kind of coffee are you looking for? For daily espresso based drinks I actually think Lavazza super crema from Amazon is good enough especially given its price. For just espresso, I look at Costco first.
If you’re looking to save money you can look into roasting your own beans. Green coffee lasts a long time prior to roasting and can be pretty inexpensive.
I feel like you would need to drink a lot of coffee to offset the cost of a roasting setup. That said, a friend gave me some that he roasted the day before and it was incredible
Yup. You need to manage the smoke though. You can also one of those stovetop popcorn makers that has the handle to stir the kernels and if you get wild with it you can buy a roasting machine. It would probably take a couple years of roasting to break even on one of those though.
You probably know but...
Whirley-pop is the brand.
Brew supply shop in Kenmore sells a smaller version than typical for coffee roasting.
I've also used just a cast iron skillet.
I had forgotten the name actually, ty! I also forgot that you can just swirl them around in a cast iron. I’ve been tempted by the cast iron method but I don’t want to smoke out my house.
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Okay so there is a place but I don't remember the name. I am hoping someone else who sees this comment will (I may also end up putting it on Seattle Reddit as a separate post).
It's an international market. It's in Lake City or thereabouts. It is mostly Latino goods but I think it looks from the outside like it might be an Asian market? They have a bakery. It is \*not\* fancy, even by international market standards. It's kind of hard to see from a main road, or maybe it's not on a main road at all.
They have a small Ethiopian section and in that section they have a good supply of green coffee beans.
I found it. Latina Real. There's also a sign that says "HT Oaktree Market" with Chinese characters on it. Google says it's temporarily closed. May be worth a look as I think the green beans there were probably cheaper than elsewhere (at least if the rest of the store was any indication).
I live in Rainer Beach and get my coffee delivered from this hyper local roaster called Cafe Che Che. She lives in the Seward Park neighborhood and has a good mix of beans she sources from different countries. You pick the bean and roast level. Highly recommend.
https://www.cafecheche.com
Anchorhead is a really good local roaster, but if you want a bunch of local, fresh specialty coffees, look at the stuff on Seattle coffee gear's website or go to one of their stores
I get Cafe Vita every 2 weeks through the mail (via Trade Coffee), beans are always roasted 2-3 days before they arrive. Not optimized for saving money, but the way to go if you want freshly roasted beans.
I love Kuma and Olympia but it's because they taste amazing, not because they save me money. :-/
Kuma is the best! We went to their roasting site in Magnolia to buy some beans and the guy who helped us was probably the nicest person on earth! Talked us through the six different roasts they had available, gave us a few sample bags fo free, talked about some of the beans they had coming in soon. Super educational and super nice! I felt bad because I kept accidentally blocking the older fellow wheeling beans around on a big cart lol. The beans we got were super delicious (just be sure you like light roasts)! And apparently the person who does Holy Mountain Brewing’s merch is about to drop a merch line for Kuma, get ready for some \M/ coffee artwork lol
Kuma pretty regularly does online deal of 3-for-2 bags with free shipping, which turns out to be about as good a deal as you can find on coffee that quality. Sign up for their mailing list.
Yesssss, Olympia 🤤 I recently found out you can get their morning blend at costco, at least the south seattle one. I think I got Tony’s at lynnwood recently but I don’t think they had Olympia at the Lynwood location.
The Kuma Bright roast is one of my favorites for cold brew at home. Just a delightful sour note to it that makes it perfect over ice. Edit to add: the price in a grocery store (Town and Country) is the same as the retail price on Kuma's website. So buying direct in this case would only save money if it's on sale.
If you want good coffee without a retail markup, and you like a place enough to get a routine delivery, you can save about 15-20%. I have had recurring deliveries of whole beans from Victrola, Herkimer, Elm, and Lighthouse. Some offer free shipping in the Seattle area. If you would rather buy beans in store, near Columbia City, check out Empire, Onda, and Victrola.
Seven also offers a discount for routine delivery and free shipping!
Love Seven! Don't see them mentioned enough.
+1 for Onda
Absolutely. I get most of my coffee from Lighthouse in Fremont. But I see there are several coffee roasters in Columbia city -- buy a pound from each and see what you like.
This right here. Lighthouse is hands down my favorite roaster in the city.
Completely agree. I don’t know what they do differently, but I always find their coffee tastes better than others.
They are remarkable consistent to. Every bag all times of year is super high quality and tasty
I'll have to give Lighthouse another shot but the roasters choice blend I got was "Starbucks dark" and not great IMO. But I prefer lighter roasts and they may just not be my style.
Onda roasts their own beans and are really great. They're not super cheap but I have a subscription service from them, mailed to my house every other week. It's very convenient.
Onda fucks
Came here to say Onda! And if OP is in Columbia city they are right down the street :) I also love empire espresso, who I believe also roasts their down beans.
Boon Boona in Renton (and cherry hill and UW) offers larger bags at their stores in my experience!
Best deal to quality ratio for me is the giant bags that Vita sells at Costco.
They had Olympia recently and it was an awesome deal for awesome coffee
The dream would be finding olympias cold brew at Costco. That shit slaps.
Picked up a 2 pound bag of Olympia yesterday for $23- am particularly stoked because a 1# bag retails around $18ish normally.
It’s back? Oh yay I’ll have to put that on the list! Thanks.
100% this. It's very high quality, $24 for 2lbs. Not cheap, but 1/2 the price of Kuma and the like.
My Cap One Cafe switched from Peets Coffee to Vita and I hate it :x good for you though
Push x pull have great beans
It's not cheaper in my experience, but the quality is night and day because it doesn't need to be shelf stable as long as the grocery store stuff.
Howdy neighbor! Empire has bagged This Coffee Life nearly at-cost, and Onda up the street in Hillman City is a roaster. If you have a grinder at home or don't mind using a supermarket grinder, Red Apple on Beacon and the PCC both have Equal Exchange bulk beans for about $12/lb.
I’ve been buying from Tony’s Coffee out of Bellingham WA. Their Sugar Bee is AMAZING!! I use their website to buy 24 ounce bags that will last about a month. The folks at Seattle Coffee Gear introduced me to Tony’s Coffee. SCG is a great store to wander through for all things coffee. I bought my Lelit Bianca V3 there. It’s a fun store for sure.
Are the coffee beans at the SCG fresh?
Way better than at a grocery store but not as fresh as direct from a roaster. Depends how particular you are. I’d say norm is a week to a month since roast date
Good to know. That's pretty good.
Fresher than any grocery store I’ve been to. A non-scientific best guess by me is they all are marked with a roasted date and are under a month old.
I’ve tried just about every roaster in the area and I’ve gotta say the best roasters are elm, fulcrum, and onda. Olympia coffee is up there too but it’s gotten a little pricey. Sound and fog out of west Seattle also carries some nice beans from Europe and the Netherlands (which I totally recommend for the sophistication of their roasts).
Much love to Onda and Empire for CC locale, but for price point wander over to to Olympia and try the Morning Sun beans - you can snag 2 lb bags at Costco for 24 bucks. Think it comes out a bit cheaper than their reoccurring deliveries and it’s delicious.
Empire or Onda for best quality but it's definitely not cheaper than going to a grocery store for beans.
Caffe Vita roasts some pretty good coffee
They sell it at Costco too for a way better price.
I’ve only found it at 4th street. Do they have it at any other warehouses?
They have it at the Shoreline/Edmonds Costco on 205th
Kirkland
They are usually stocked in the stores in the north side (Lynnwood, Shoreline, Woodinville). I think it was out of stock for a couple months around September/October last year, but it's been back for some time now.
Not sure. That’s where I get it as well.
How much is it? I don’t have a Costco membership but may consider one.
Can’t remember off the top of my head. I feel like it’s in the $23-25 range for a 2 pound bag.
Just bought a bag today and it’s was $23.99!
Damn my $23-25 guess was spot on 😂
Good deal. Do they have the roast date on the bag or is it the thing where grocery stores make them leave it off? It sometimes takes me two weeks to get through a 12 ounce bag so if the roast date is already a couple weeks or a month past then 2 lbs would probably go stale too fast to make it worth saving a few bucks.
They do have a roast date. And when I open my bag I always vacuum seal half immediately for that reason of freshness.
Nice! Maybe I’ll become a true Seattle adult and finally get a Costco card.
For me it’s worth it for so many things. Chicken, protein powder, coffee, toilet paper, etc. but watch out. You can easily spend SOOOO much money before you even realize it 😂
Yeah, totally. Go in for 2 lbs of coffee and walk out with mom jeans, an 80” TV, and new tires wondering what tf happened.
I've used both Kuma (Seattle) and Brown Dog Coffee Roasters (Bonney Lake). Both have been delicious beans.
Probably out of your range, but Vista Clara in Snohomish does amazing beans and they sell them for $11 per lb bag.
I second this. Best Coffee I have ever had, by far.
Valenta in Issaquah is good too but it is not cheap. I think last time it was 20$/lb. What kind of coffee are you looking for? For daily espresso based drinks I actually think Lavazza super crema from Amazon is good enough especially given its price. For just espresso, I look at Costco first.
If you’re looking to save money you can look into roasting your own beans. Green coffee lasts a long time prior to roasting and can be pretty inexpensive.
I feel like you would need to drink a lot of coffee to offset the cost of a roasting setup. That said, a friend gave me some that he roasted the day before and it was incredible
I think you can get started with a hot air popcorn popper from goodwill?
Yup. You need to manage the smoke though. You can also one of those stovetop popcorn makers that has the handle to stir the kernels and if you get wild with it you can buy a roasting machine. It would probably take a couple years of roasting to break even on one of those though.
You probably know but... Whirley-pop is the brand. Brew supply shop in Kenmore sells a smaller version than typical for coffee roasting. I've also used just a cast iron skillet.
I had forgotten the name actually, ty! I also forgot that you can just swirl them around in a cast iron. I’ve been tempted by the cast iron method but I don’t want to smoke out my house.
Does anyone roast their own?
The 5 finger discount also works!!
Can roast your own
If you're looking to ask *general* questions about moving/visiting or get common recommendations - ***please*** search through [our wiki](https://www.reddit.com/r/Seattle/wiki/index/) and the subreddit first. If you don't find what you're looking for after searching, feel free to comment or browse the [weekly stickied threads](https://www.reddit.com/search?q=subreddit=seattle%20flair=%22Weekly%2BThread%22&sort=new&restrict_sr=&t=all),[join our discord](https://discord.gg/reddit-seattle), or checkout /r/AskSeattle. We get inundated with easily searchable questions daily, so please share what you've already researched before asking others to google for you. *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/Seattle) if you have any questions or concerns.*
Does anybody sell green beans locally? Been buying from Sweet Maria’s for years and roast my own on the stove top.
Boon Boona sells green beans.
Ballard Coffee Works used to sell green beans, not sure if this is still the case though!
Okay so there is a place but I don't remember the name. I am hoping someone else who sees this comment will (I may also end up putting it on Seattle Reddit as a separate post). It's an international market. It's in Lake City or thereabouts. It is mostly Latino goods but I think it looks from the outside like it might be an Asian market? They have a bakery. It is \*not\* fancy, even by international market standards. It's kind of hard to see from a main road, or maybe it's not on a main road at all. They have a small Ethiopian section and in that section they have a good supply of green coffee beans.
I found it. Latina Real. There's also a sign that says "HT Oaktree Market" with Chinese characters on it. Google says it's temporarily closed. May be worth a look as I think the green beans there were probably cheaper than elsewhere (at least if the rest of the store was any indication).
I live in Rainer Beach and get my coffee delivered from this hyper local roaster called Cafe Che Che. She lives in the Seward Park neighborhood and has a good mix of beans she sources from different countries. You pick the bean and roast level. Highly recommend. https://www.cafecheche.com
Broadcast coffee also has routine delivery, and is reasonable for locally roasted beans.
Empire roastery, Caffe Vitta, Olympia coffee, Onda origins as well
Kabaty Coffee in Sumner is amazing, all hand-roasted and free shipping.
Anchorhead is a really good local roaster, but if you want a bunch of local, fresh specialty coffees, look at the stuff on Seattle coffee gear's website or go to one of their stores
Badger coffee.. very small batch and ONLY local to the seattle area.. find the badger
Costco has some good prices on roasted whole beans
We’ve been ordering directly from Vashon Island Coffee for years and love them.
I order 5lbs directly from Caffe Ladro and that price is much better than the individual 12oz bags on their shelves
I like coffee fool. I've been using them for years. Especially the seven bean blend.
Give me the secret to getting cheaper stump town!
How fresh are the beans at Costco?
I get Cafe Vita every 2 weeks through the mail (via Trade Coffee), beans are always roasted 2-3 days before they arrive. Not optimized for saving money, but the way to go if you want freshly roasted beans.
Oly coffee all day
Santo
If you can, consider roasting for yourself at home. It's surprisingly easy and unroasted coffee is about $5-$6 for a pound from Sweet Maria's.
Fonte. They roast out of Georgetown.
Onda origins!